Something doesnt jive here. Unless some of these poor households dont have kids, which I would find very hard to believe.....

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Moreover, low-income households as a group do, in fact, pay federal taxes. Congressional Budget Office data show that the poorest fifth of households paid an average of 4.0 percent of their incomes in federal taxes in 2007, the latest year for which these data are available — not an insignificant amount given how modest these households’ incomes are; the poorest fifth of households had average income of $18,400 in 2007.[6] The next-to-the bottom fifth — those with incomes between $20,500 and $34,300 in 2007 — paid an average of 10.6 percent of their incomes in federal taxes.

My annual income is just over $50,000 and my effective rate is generally around 3%. I do not claim every deduction I can. How is it a household making less than half of what I make is paying double the tax? Something doesn't add up.

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Moreover, even these figures greatly understatelow-income households’ totaltax burden because these households also pay substantial state and local taxes. Data from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy show that the poorest fifth of households paid a stunning 12.3 percent of their incomes in state and local taxes in 2011.[7]

And again, same as above. Someone is playing fast and loose with the numbers.

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Originally Posted by brewmenn

And it doesn't matter if you use the term "fair share" or "equally" or "equal application". you will never get agreement. We could debate it until the end of time and never reach an agreement.

Thats why no legislative policy should be written based on whats "fair." Fair is to subjective. It should be based in the fundamental concept that we are all equal with the same opportunities and protected ability to pursue our own happiness.